“The Waterfall.”

“Hey get up.”

I hear, the words followed by a sudden pluck to the forehead.

“Ow!”

I exclaim, shooting ahead—my head slams into Maelis, the culprit of the attack.

“He’s up!”

They shout, holding their head in pain and making a thumbs-up

“Ah! Maelis, I’m sorry!”

I say full of worry, rubbing my head and my tired eyes.

“Your all good friend, I made the first attack and I’ll make the last!”

They say with a grin, still holding their head.

“Ah, well alright..”

I say awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck.

A sudden sharp pang comes to my chest followed by the memories of last night.

I grip the fabric of my shirt and wince in pain.

“Wait, hey are you okay Roba?”

Maelis asks with furrowed brows.

“Ah yeah, I’m alright”.

I say with a weak smile.

“Let’s get a move on!”

Jorvain shouts tying up his hair.

He turns and laughs at something Emrys says to him and the ache in my chest worsens.

We all gear up, and with Maelis bending over to scream into his face, Dain is the last to wake up, his head slamming into Maelis’

“OW!”

They cry, falling back.

Looks like their actions caught up with them.

“Ah! Maelis! Maelis?”

Dain shouts shooting forward to grab hold of their shoulders.

Still shirtless with his sharp dark hair a mess, he shakes them back and forth, but they just go limp in his arms.

“Don’t be dramatic Maelis I told you not to wake them up that way.”

Emrys says making a haughty expression

“If they don’t get up carry them, Dain.”

“D-don’t get up? You don’t think…did I hit them that hard?”

Dain panics, shaking them even faster.

I figure I’m the only one who can see the corner of their mouth twitching with a smile. But I don’t bother to say anything.

***

We all stand side by side, our stuff packed up and back in the wagon, and Dain ended up carrying Maelis who throws me a playful smile, clearly proud of what they’ve achieved.

I shake my head in disbelief.

“Well isn’t that splendid!”

Emrys exclaims.

“What?”

Dain asks.

“Our next stop leads us right to the bottom of a waterfall!”

Emrys explains

“Perfect! “

Jorvain says with a smile. And we set off to our next journey.

Somewhere along the way, my feelings grew somber, and my footsteps slowed.

Every time Jorvain laughed or smiled, it felt like he was doing it to spite me.

To let me know that hurting you won’t stop me from being happy, and being hurt by you, has no lasting effect.

But that’s not so bad, is it? Why should I want him to hurt and have his heart ache from the harm I caused it? I don’t, I don’t want that, but even if it didn’t hurt him, I wish I knew that he cared that it hurt me.

But he won’t even look at me, so how am I supposed to see what feelings have set in his green eyes?

We made our way through trees and over logs, eventually, Maelis gave up the act to tease Dain.

Who like Emrys knew he’d be, was itching all over from the night before.

Soon, we arrived at a bustling waterfall, which fell into a gentle stream, the water rushing between rocks and pushing against small fish. A variety of giant rocks surrounded the environment, covered in moss, sprouting flowers. The waterfall poured down in three sections, separated by more rocks.

“Finally!”

Maelis exclaims.

Kicking their feet, still dangling over Dain’s shoulder.

“Here’s how this’ll go, we can all do things like wash our hair, clothes, and armor, but we have to take turns bathing. “

Emrys explains.

“We can do the bathing last.”

Jorvain adds.

“But I’m sure everyone's dying to freshen up a bit.”

He says with a laugh, looking at Dain who is erratically scratching himself all over.

It’s not long before everyone goes off to clean themselves.

Maelis sets their robes and hat aside on a rock. Underneath they wear linen wrappings. Tightly wrapped around their Epicene form, slight in stature and almost fragile in appearance. Green markings adorn their skin, resembling the ones on their cheekbones.

They wring out their robes and violently shake them, water flying over to Emrys, who was sitting peacefully on the soft grass near the stream, feet submerged in the water, rubbing their skin clean with a wet cloth, a small towel sitting on her wet hair, once light and fluffy with blonde curls, now heavy and clinging to their face.

“Maelis!”

Emrys exclaims.

“What? You’re gonna get in the water anyway!”

Maelis retorts, continuously shaking their robes regardless.

“Oh, that’s it!”

Emrys shouts tossing the towel that once sat on her head, her gown growing soaked, the second she walked through the stream. Playfully shoving Maelis who hadn’t yet recovered from the thrown towel. The two splashed each other with water, laughing and smiling from ear to ear.

Dain sits close to the waterfall, absentmindedly scrubbing his back and arms. I don’t think I noticed it last night but the scars on his face are small compared to the various ones on his body, stretching across his muscles. I can’t help but wonder how he got them.

“Dain! Dain Emrys is bullying me! “

Maelis shouts, which gets his attention.

He just blinks at them before turning back to gaze at the water.

“Dain!”

Maelis whines

“I don’t like to be in the water.”

He says kicking his feet in the stream.

Leaving Dain my eyes go to Jorvain, who sits high up on a rock, running his fingers through his hair which glistens in the sun from the water and slime. His hair falls over his shoulders, bare and broad. Scars trail across his chest and arms, a giant gash on what’s left of his left arm.

I stare, focusing on his eyes. Just to find something, anything that says he’s hurting.

He peers down into the water, a gentle tilt to his head.

But instead, out of the corner of my eye, I see Emrys, who’s returned to sitting on the grass, gazing at Jorvain, just as I am.

Her eyes shoot to me, then to him, and back to me, furrowing with every passing moment.

I’m watching her watching him while she’s watching me watch him, while knowing I’m watching her watching me watch him—

But what’s her problem? She started watching me first with that look in her eyes. It’s always there when she looks at me, it’s like she’s holding something back, it’s not hard to tell it’s nothing kind. But it’s usually more subtle isn’t it? It’s like she’s glaring at me.

“I’m gonna take my bath now, I’ll be heading to the left side!”

Emrys shouts as she walks off with her towel.

“Don’t take forever like you always do!”

Maelis shouts.

“Well then I’m heading to the right side.”

Dain says as he loops around to where Jorvain is, heading to the right side of the stream.

“You coming Roba? Me and Jorvain are gonna be over here.”

He asks.

“Ah, no that’s okay, I’ll just wait.”

I say quietly. It’d be quicker but I don't wanna put Jorvain in an awkward situation after our fight..

“Alright then.”

He says walking off behind the large rock to the right of the stream.

I sit on the grass near the waterfall, my boots, gloves, and armor off, the sleeves of my pants rolled up, I sink my feet into the water. The cool sensation hits my skin in an instant.

I reach down to take off my shirt—when suddenly Maelis plops down onto the grass beside me.

I falter, glancing over at them.

“Aren’t you gonna freshen up? I can head off if you’re shy, I notice you hadn’t really taken any of your stuff off, I was worried maybe all of us are scaring you with how… comfortable we are?”

They say staring back at me.

“Ah no I just…well I did notice that you all…don’t seem to care about undressing in front of each other or being shirtless, I just felt a bit awkward I guess?”

I admit, not including the part where I denied Dain’s offer to bathe because Jorvain would be there.

“I was the same too, although that’s cause I was self-conscious about this body of mine..but we’re all kinda like family. So I found that I didn’t feel the need to fear any judgment around them.”

They say with a small smile, reaching back to tie up their hair into a messy bun.

“That’s pretty amazing. Usually, parties are kinda like professional partners in a job arrangement, but to have such a beautiful bond with each other, that’s special isn’t it?”

I say with a smile. Standing up, I take my shirt off and walk into the center of the stream.

“Whoa, you’ve got the body of a brave hero alright, I don’t doubt you’ve trained a ton, scars and all.”

They say in awe.

“Oh, well, I guess so, the scars aren’t very heroic once you hear the stories behind them.”

I laugh.

“As long as no one knows, they make you look like a real hero! “

They exclaim.

“Thanks Maelis.”

I say gently with a smile.

“Could I ask, what those markings you’ve got are?”

“Ah, these? They’re actually Ardor manifesting onto my skin, kinda like runes, they’re meant to limit my power so it doesn’t get too destructive.”

They say as they look over their skin and the marks that adorn it.

If they have runes just to restrict their power, just how powerful are they?

“Wow, you really are a master when it comes to wielding your Ardor.”

I say full of admiration.

“I wish I knew how to do the same, my Ardor’s useless,”

I say bitterly.

“Listen here Roba, in this world of ours, feelings and words are directly linked to the soul which is the source of our Ardor, so when you say stuff like that, it affects the system you want so badly to fix.”

They scold.

“Ah, I see..well that’s no good.”

I sigh.

I can’t help but be negative…

“Don’t be hard on yourself, you’ll figure it out. “

They say kindly, trying to reassure me.

“Yeah…”

I mutter, ringing out my shirt, my brows furrowing.

I’ve been trying to figure it out for a while and I’ve gotten nowhere..

For a moment there’s nothing said, just the sound of the stream.

Until they open their mouth to speak once more.

“Look, I noticed you seemed kind of out of it this morning and I wanted to make you feel better, but I’m not sure I’m any good at it.”

They say with a sigh.

I pause.

“That’s…thank you Maelis. You’ve been really kind to me even though I’ve made tons of mistakes and haven’t managed to make them better. But there’s no need to worry about me, you should just go take your bath.”

I say with a gentle smile.

“Yeah but I don’t mind waiting around with you, i’d rather wait for the others to finish, so I can bathe on my own.”

They say as they run their fingers along the blades of grass beneath their feet.

“Oh, why’s that? Wouldn’t you be able to bathe with Emrys?”

I ask.

“Emrys? “

They repeat with a laugh.

I feel sweat form around the temples of my forehead. It’s not that I was entirely sure which side Maelis would naturally be on, but since they didn’t go with the other guys I just thought… well, I’m not sure what I thought.

“Ah, I’m sorry I didn’t—

“No, no it’s okay, I guess you don’t really know. But the truth is I don’t fit into either side.”

They say it rather casually.

I walk out of the stream, taking a seat beside them.

“I’m not sure I understand?”

I say with a slight furrow in my brows.

“Ever heard of the astutus?”

They ask, turning to face me.

“The trickster? Of course I have, it’s a terrible creature that comes to struggling parties passing through abandoned structures. I’ve heard it can take out a whole party on its own.”

My brows furrow with disbelief.

“That’s the one,”

They say with a snap, a somber look sitting in their hazel eyes.

“Offers you something and takes something in return, twists your words and wishes, taking something random from you, if you're lucky it can be something as small as a coin, but if not, it can even be your life, tangible or not. It’s nothing it can’t take.”

“For me, it scrambled me completely, took my sense of self and when I looked in the mirror…well things were missing.”

They say with a sigh, rubbing their shoulders with nerves.

“Maelis, I... I don’t know what to say.”

I say quietly.

“That’s alright, I’m not the only one who lost something...Dain lost one of his great axes, those meant a great deal to him..and Emrys lost all her hair.”

My eyes widen

“R-really?”

I ask in shock.

“Yep, her hair used to fall to her thighs, it’s short now since it’s still growing back, she was pretty devastated. And Jorvain...he lost his arm.”

They say quietly.

My heart sinks

“That’s how he lost it..?”

I ask in disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s not easy to talk about it…But I think you should know, you’re a part of the team after all. I don’t want you feeling bad for me, even if it makes it hard to be with someone else, I actually prefer myself this way.”

They say with a gentle smile.

“Plus, the people in my life don’t look at me with any malice or confusion, they couldn't care less, and that’s what matters to me.”

“Maelis.”

I say sternly. Grabbing their attention, they turn to me.

“Yeah?”

They ask.

“What you were before doesn’t matter to me! I like the Maelis you're now very much!”

I exclaim, my voice full of passion.

“Thank you, Roba. That makes me happy.”

They say with a big smile. And I smile back.

Suddenly Emrys walks over tossing a towel at Maelis's head

“I’m done, so you can go ahead.”

“Hey!”

Maelis whines.

“You took forever you know!”

They shout as they toss the towel aside, standing to their feet.

“I did not!”

Emrys argues, stubbornly crossing her arms.

“Whatever, I’m going now, nice talking to you Roba!”

Maelis says with a wave heading off the left stream.

Leaving Emrys and me.

I clear my throat, scratching my neck with nerves.

There’s no need to be awkward just cause we’re alone, it’s not like we need to talk—

“You were wrong to call Jorvain prideful!”

She exclaims, her fist clenched at her side. She glares down at me with a look of disdain, and suddenly it’s clear to me, that must have been what she was repressing behind her gaze all along.

“He’s the farthest from it! Who do you think you are Roba Reman?”

She spits, crossing her arms.

“Oh, I guess you were awake.”

I mutter. That explains why she was glaring at me more than usual.

But rather than feeling angry or hurt..I’m just fed up.

I stand to my feet, face to face with her. Which makes her eyes widen as she takes a step backwards.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

I say calmly, crossing my arms.

“Excuse me?”

She asks, her brows furrowing.

“I was wrong to say what I said, but I was hurt…and what happened happened. But, It’s not really any of your business now is it?”

I say sternly.

Her golden eyes narrow.

“Of course it’s my business, because I care about Jorvain and this party. How can you call yourself a member of Sol Viridis and disrespect the man who made it with bitter nonsense?”

She says with a scoff, taking a step closer, she points her finger at me like a dagger.

“Haah, this is tiring, I tried to believe you didn’t hate me, cause you helped on the hill, and would tolerate me, but that was all just a front for Jorvain wasn’t it?”

It hurts me to even say it, but I don’t doubt it’s true.

“How dare you!”

She barks.

“Look, I’m here cause Jorvain thinks..or thought I was special “.

I say with a sigh.

“I never claimed I deserved to be here, but you know what? Why are you here? What makes you so much better, Emrys? What makes me so beneath you that you can barely stand the sight of me!”

I shout, stepping forward and slapping her hand away from me.

Looks like I care more than I thought..

“You hate me for no reason and you did right from the beginning! Everyone's been willing to give me a chance, even Dain! But you? You never wanted me here and you didn’t bother to hide it behind a helmet as he did.”

I say with furrowed brows, trying to bite back the bitter feeling on my face.

For a moment, she’s silent, just staring back at me.

“You’re just a liability who we should have left at Avaritvia. You have no place in this party and no place next to Jorvain. You’re hardly a hero after all, but at least you know that.”

She spits cruelly.

Before I can say another word, tell her she’s wrong—

Jorvain and Dain come back to the middle.

“Hey, we’re finished, so you're up next Roba.”

Dain says with a wave.

My eyes meet Jorvain’s, just for a moment, before I look away.